Entrust
by Silent Bunshin
Summary: Life after the war is hard on everyone, but Naruto the most. Follow Sakura as she helps him cope with life after war and explores her own feelings for him.
1. Sorrow

I decided that while I have been dealing with a bit of writers block on my story _Inferno_, I decided to try my hand at another story Idea that came to mind that solely revolves around a relationship development between Naruto and Sakura, after the war with Madara. While this is not likely how the manga will be intended to end, it is how I would prefer events to unfold after. So here is the start to my next story that will be a work in progress while I deal with the lack of imagination and inspiration with _Inferno_.

All characters are Kishimoto's, I just put them in a story I like. Kishimoto is the man!

_Entrust_

Sakura was running full speed across the valley floor. Her hands were clenched so tight she felt her nails digging into her palms, but this was trivial compared to the pain that she felt in her heart right now. Her head was swimming with so many emotions over the current situation. So many "what ifs" crossed her mind as she vaulted uprooted trees and debris from the explosion of chakra. She weaved through burning trees, covered in the unmistakable black flames of Amaterasu. She felt two chakra signatures up ahead. One seemed very weak, the other… was almost not even noticeable, and was starting to wane. These chakra signatures were the reason for her current emotional plight.

'_Please be OK. Please be OK.'_

Sakura repeated this mantra over and over as she made her way to the far end of the utterly destroyed valley floor. She wasn't even sure which person she was more worried for. She reserved special feelings for each of them. Both had their own place in her heart. However, the one that she had once considered nothing more than an annoyance, had somehow managed to move into the deepest reaches of her heart, to a place she never intended him to be. But he was there. Always.

Rain fell from the sky as the clouds passed overhead, a product of one of Sasuke's signature Lightning elemental jutsu. Large droplets of water splashed against her Hitai-ate, sending rivulets of water streaming down her face, mixing with the tears that had formed when she saw the first explosion.

'_How could he have been so selfish? He promised we would do this together.'_

Sakura wiped the tears and rain from her face and channeled chakra into her legs to pick up the pace. The failing chakra signal was now almost nonexistent. As she neared the two presences, she still could not tell the difference between them.

She was getting closer when she felt the weak one completely disappear. Sakura tripped and fell to her knees in a puddle of mud, falling forward on her palms to stare at her own reflection in a small puddle of water that had started to gather. One of them had just died. After all this time, it finally came down to this, and now she suddenly found a dire lack of resolve to move the few more feet beyond the debris. She wasn't prepared for what she knew she would find on the other side.

'_No! I have to be strong. I need to get up… so get UP DAMNIT!'_

Sakura stood and moved with new resolve. She vaulted one more downed tree and pushed through a patch of thick brush, drawing a kunai, ready to take on the man who was responsible for killing her friend and faithful team mate. As she burst through the greenery, she came to a complete stop. Her renewed resolve now completely demolished by the scene in front of her. What she expected, what she had prepared herself for, was not what she was met with.

In the center of a deep crater, in the middle of a large bowl of charred earth and tree stumps were two figures, one laying down and unmoving, the other on his knees, cradling the head of the latter.

Sakura's kunai fell from her now slack hand and hit the ground with a dull clang. New tears found their way through the rain water and down her cheeks. She was relieved, and yet she was ashamed. She was relieved that the man that she now cared for more than anything was alive, but ashamed that she didn't have the faith in her team mate that she should have. Her eyes fell on the two most important men in her life. Naruto was leaning over Sasuke's still form, droplets falling from his eyes. He was rocking back and forth, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out.

After a few minutes, Sakura found the strength to get her feet under herself and start walking toward Naruto. She could see that Naruto was crying, and as she got closer she could hear his sobs as he cried over his best friend and the only person he considered a brother. The more he cried, the more her heart twisted in her chest. Naruto wasn't only in her heart… he WAS her heart. When he hurt, she hurt. It was as simple as that. The pain that she was feeling right now must be as close to dying as someone could be without actually dying. Her heart cried out to him, but she remained silent as she knelt down next to him, placing her hand. This was not the time to reveal her feelings to him. Right now, what he needed most was her friendship, and her silence, and to just let him cry. He released his hold on his dead team mate and slumped into the arms of his other best friend and team mate as she pulled him into a tight embrace that said all that needed to be said.

***A Few Days Later**

The funeral had less of a turnout than was expected. As a defector of the Leaf Village and an international criminal, Sasuke was no longer entitled to a burial with honors. ANBU took his eyes and incinerated them on site before placing a grave seal on his body, forever locking away secrets his body could reveal, and then unceremoniously dumping him in the mass grave with the rest of the white zetsu army. It was only after the unrelenting protests of Naruto that a headstone was allowed to be placed in the Uchiha district among the rest that were placed there as a result of the traitor's older brother.

Itachi. Naruto wished that things had turned out the way Itachi had wanted. Instead of being the village hero, Sasuke was now less than nothing; a traitor, stricken from the record of Konoha's Shinobi corps, nothing more than a body in a mass grave, forever forgotten, except by two.

Naruto felt a hand close around his own hand. His tear stained blue eyes met equally tear stained jade eyes. No words needed to be said. Naruto reached down with his other hand and placed a bouquet of flowers on Sasuke's headstone. Sakura placed her picture of team seven within the flowers. As she knelt down to arrange the flowers properly, she felt a sudden gust of wind to her left. She turned to find Naruto was nowhere in sight.


	2. Feelings

I realize that Chapter1 was incredibly short. This was done for a reason. I didn't want to invest too much time into a new story into unless I was going to have a large reader base. I have already received over 30 email notices for readers following _Entrust_. My phone almost literally blew up when the POP server refreshed and I got all those emails. I am glad to see that it was so well received. I will make sure to provide much more content in each of the following chapters. I have not yet decided, however, if I am going to make this a long story or a short one. I will see what inspiration permits.

Disclaimer: If you don't know that Kishimoto owns Naruto, then you are not a true Naruto fan!

All characters and places (fictional or otherwise) are his intellectual property. I just write them into my stories.

_Entrust_

_Ch. 2_

A light breeze blew across Sakura's skin as she stood at the rail of a familiar bridge somewhere in central Konoha village. Strands of hair fell across her face as the wind carried them from their prior resting place behind her ear. She stood, staring idly at her reflection in the water below. It had been three weeks since she and Naruto held their personal funeral for Sasuke. It had also been three weeks since she talked to Naruto. He seemed to be very reclusive lately, never straying far from the Namikaze compound, or if he did step out, it wasn't for very long.

Sakura had tried on several occasions to visit with him, but whenever she would ring the bell at the front gate, hoping for an invitation, she would be met only with disappointment and a constantly closed gate. She had even tried pleading to Tsunade to intervene, trying to impress that it 'wasn't healthy for him to stay bottled up like this.' Tsunade only shook her head.

"Naruto will come around when he is ready. Only he can decide when the time is right."

Sakura wasn't satisfied though. She knew that her friend was hurting, and it drove her nearly to tears every night to think that there was nothing that she could do to help him; that he wouldn't LET her help him.

She turned at the sound of feet landing softly next to her.

"How ya doin forehead?"

Sakura didn't reply. She was still lost in her thoughts and wasn't really in the mood for playful banter with her lifelong rival and friend.

"How is Naruto doing?"

"I don't know, Ino. He won't speak to anyone. He rarely comes out of the compound and when he does, no one can get near him long enough to talk with him." Sakura stifled a sob. "It's like he is shutting us out. What do I do?"

"Sakura, he just needs time. Sasuke was like a brother to him. I know when Asuma Sensei died, I didn't want to talk to, or see anyone for awhile. Not even Shika or Choji." The blonde placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder trying to comfort her friend. "He will be back to his old self in no time. You just wait!"

Sakura knew it was more than that though. Naruto had been through hardships before. She had never known him to fold in on himself in such a manner. She wanted to cry, but that would solve nothing.

The breeze blew again and Sakura caught the faintest hint of a very familiar odor. She stood suddenly very alert looking to the trees across the stream. Without a second thought she jumped the rail and darted for the trees, channeling chakra to her legs to move faster.

"Shit."

It was all he could say. How could he have been so careless? He had been so careful going unnoticed, moving about the village without having to deal with everyone's sympathy for him. But it wasn't sympathy he was after. He wanted answers. But the answers he wanted, he knew were too painful to handle.

He shoved the thoughts aside as he prepared to use his latest jutsu in his Shinobi arsenal. He was just pulling a kunai for the Hiraishin when a hand caught his elbow. He stopped and stood still, but didn't turn to face the new arrival.

"Why?" A familiar feminine voice asked from behind.

'_Why? Why what? Why did I fail in my promise to you? Why did I kill the man you love? Why didn't I try harder? Which is it Sakura?'_

He mentally collapsed under his inner musings.

"I'm sorry." He simply said.

"Sorry? Sorry or what exactly?" It took a bit if measured control to keep her voice steady. She was balancing a fine line between crying and angry.

"I'm just… Sorry." His shoulders slumped, like he had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were so many things that he was sorry for. Sorry that so many people had to die in a war that was fought over him, or more specifically, people _like_ him. His eyes rose to meet other eyes that are lined with worry.

Sakura turned him to face fully toward her, placing both of her hands on either of his shoulders. Her determination to set her friend's mind at ease outweighed her need to break down emotionally.

"Naruto. That is enough. Stop it. Right now!" She set him with a steady gaze that broached no room for argument.

To say Naruto was surprised was an understatement. He had fully expected some kind of hard knock over the head some form of chastising with copious usage of '_bakka'_. What he got instead was even more surprising.

Standing there in the middle of a patch of trees, Sakura, the girl whom he had been completely and hopelessly in love with, to the point that it hurt, was standing there, holding him tight, as if her life depended on it.

As his mind was starting to accept the reality of the situation, he thought back to that day after he had defeated Pein. He remembered getting this same embrace from her then too. It was more than a simple hug. It was laced with emotions that had been kept bottled for far too long.

Sakura sniffled into his shirt, stifling the sobs that threatened to make their way to the surface and betray her true emotions.

"I'm sorry." He finally said again.

"Didn't I tell you to stop-"

"I'm sorry for worrying you Sakura." He continued, not waiting. He gently pushed her to arms length so he could look her in the eyes. "I haven't been myself lately. After all I have been taught I still lack the sensibility to talk with my closest friends about what is bothering me."

Sakura felt like she could crumble right there in front of him. He was being so open now, like a switch had been flipped. Her crumbling feeling though came from her own inner admission that she _knew_ that she couldn't do the same with her own feelings. She stared at the ground and moved a hand up to push her bangs behind an ear. She finally smiled and looked back at her long time friend and team mate, and finally managed a smile.

"It's ok Naruto. That's what I am here for. I want you to share what's bothering you. There is no reason for you to shoulder any burden by yourself anymore."

Sakura didn't know it, but those words meant more to Naruto than she could ever imagine. Thinking back, he started to analyze how he harbored his feelings, burdens, wants and desires, never sharing them with anyone for fear that he would be mocked, or worse, that speaking of them would irrevocably prevent them from ever coming to pass. It seemed that anytime something good entered his life, something or someone else was trying to take it away from him.

He pulled Sakura into another tight hug that she was not prepared for. He rested his chin on her head.

"Thank you Sakura. That means so much to me." _'More than you will ever know.'_

Sakura, in probably the tightest embrace she ever shared with Naruto, blushed at the proximity and contact of their bodies. Once over the shock she allowed her arms to circle around the small of his back and she hugged him back in kind. Then leaned back and looked him in the eyes.

"Any time Naruto. I will always be there for you."

Her gaze lingered on his for more than she felt was appropriate, but she couldn't peel her eyes from his. Suddenly, as if she were jolted by electricity she pushed back.

Naruto, noticed the quick departure of body heat and her now aloof and jittery reaction, but his face betrayed no emotion that he was hurt by it.

"So," the pinkette started, "How about lunch at Ichiraku?"

Naruto's grin slit his face as he pumped a fist in the air while jumping.

"Yatta!"

Back on the bridge, Ino could only smile.

"Seems like forehead managed to get through that thick skull of his." _'I only hope that he doesn't fall back into whatever depression he found himself in to start with.'_

She turned and walked off the bridge headed toward her parent's flower shop.

"Way to go Sakura." She said to no one in particular.


	3. Digress

Kishimoto owns Naruto not me… /jealous

_Entrust_

It was nearing dawn. The sunlight crept in the window shades and danced across the whisker-marked face of our favorite Uzumaki. As the sunlight washed over his closed eyelids, he scrunched them, their own selfish reaction to not wishing to open and start another day. He rolled over in his bed, facing his night stand, and opened his eyes. His gaze fell on the picture of team seven. Even after a month, the pain of knowing what he did still washed over him as if it had just happened. He thought back to his talk with Sakura. He knew that it was important to share his feelings with the people around him, but over seventeen years of suppressing his emotions for the sake of others turned him into a 'worry-doll' of sorts. He had always been there to listen to others when they had problems, but when it came to his own, it seemed he was quite the opposite, and clammed up at the first sign that someone would pry into his feelings.

With a sigh, he sat up and stretched his muscles. He looked down and stared at all the scars that now marred his body as a result of his profession and duty. They served as a constant reminder that every day was precious and that he was not as invincible as people made him out to be. Despite all the cuts, scrapes, kunai wounds, rips, tears and other various injuries he had experienced over the course of his still very young life, one in particular stuck out contrast to all the rest. The large circular wound over his left lung had scarred the worst of them all. He traced his fingers over the rough pink and white flesh, feeling the grooves and wrinkles of scar tissue that would constantly remind him of his inability to bring his best friend and brother home to the girl that, in his mind, he would only love from a distance for the rest of his life.

Sakura.

How was he going to handle that situation? Sure, she said that he shouldn't apologize. Sure, she seemed fine on the outside, but Naruto knew better. Sakura was tough when she needed to be, but inside, Sakura was still the same tender and emotionally sensitive girl that she was back in the academy. What was there to say that she wasn't crying in her room every night, wondering why her Sasuke-kun was gone and why he didn't keep his promise to her to bring Sasuke back. There were just so many uncertain to grapple in one day which worsened his mood further. Despite the bright and sunny say that it was outside, Naruto was living in a world of over-cast skies and dreary rain storms.

After a few minutes of self-imposed guilt-tripping, Naruto made his way to the bathroom, showered and returned to dress. He put on his usual attire and walked to the window. The breeze was actually quite nice, and had he not been in such a poor mood, he might have been in the mind to enjoy it. Jumping up on the rail he took in one more breath, and threw one of his father's trademark kunai in the direction of the training ground and focused his chakra to attach itself to it. A slight tug was all he felt as he vanished in a flash of orange and yellow in the direction of one of his favorite places, training ground seven, to burn off some steam and keep his skills sharp. Nearby villagers smiled, glad to see the return of the yellow flash in the form of his legacy.

******Break******

Sakura was sweating profusely. This had been one of the more arduous exams she had taken. Tsunade stood behind her, arms folded under her breasts, watching her student perform the assigned task with a neutral face. Inside she was elated. This was the last in a long line of field tests that Sakura had to complete in order to be promoted from field medic to field surgeon and doctor. Not only did the promotional exam include a hefty pay raise, but Sakura would finally have the right to say that she could stand on equal footing with her master, mentor and closest friend minus Naruto. She watched as Sakura carefully and meticulously scanned each region of the body, looking for traces of poison as well as internal injuries.

Sakura's eyes were closed as she focused, deep in her concentration, looking for the miniscule parts of poison she knew were in the patient's bloodstream. Her eyes snapped open and she immediately snapped instructions to her aid for the exam.

"I have located the poison; I need water for the extraction."

The aid complied instantly passing over a small metal bowl filled with water. Sakura dipped her hand into the water and focused her chakra. As she withdrew her hand, a small globule of water came with it, encasing her hand in a small round glove of water. She focused more chakra into the water and it rippled. She proceeded to move the water over the left of the patient's chest.

"I will now flush the area with water and extract the water from the patient. Also, I need a small pan with small torn pieces of paper."

Tsunade found that last request odd, but nodded for her to proceed. Sakura leveled the water laden hand over the patient's chest and pressed down lightly. With the chakra infused with the water, it passed into the skin with almost no resistance. Sakura focused harder and the sweating began again.

She focused on the individual components of the poison that was affecting the patient and attached her chakra to them. Soon, spider web-like tendrils began to pull the various poison components in toward a central part of her chakra within the patient.

Tsunade watched, pride now visible on her face as her student performed one of the most intricate and difficult medical procedures known to the medical corps. The procedure requires the best chakra control and unshakable concentration. However, even knowing what a prodigy Sakura was with medical jutsu, she was completely unprepared for what she saw next.

Sakura, positioned to her patient's right side, remained fixed in concentration as her left hand hovered tediously over the patient's upper torso, drawing the poison out and into the water that covered her hand. This however was not what had Tsunade's jaw hitting the floor. What really got to her was Sakura hovering her other hand over another pan with flakes of paper. Within seconds, Sakura ignited the pan of paper with fire manipulation, creating a steady stream of smoke.

Slowly, snake-like coils of smoke gathered around Sakura's hand and she moved it over the navel of her patient. Slowly the smoke moved from her hand, forming lines over the patient's body; some running vertically, while others were positioned horizontally.

Tsunade's eyes widened at what she was seeing take place. She leaned over and whispered to her older apprentice, Shizune.

"Do you believe what we are seeing right now Shizune?"

The younger woman was speechless at first, but snapped out of it when prodded by her master. "This level of mastery is unheard of shishou. To be able to perform the poison extraction on this level is amazing to say the least, but she is performing one of the most difficult operations in battlefield medicine _simultaneously_ with a meridian realignment. It's… simply amazing!"

Tsunade nodded at the observation. "Yes Shizune, it is amazing… and by every standard I know AND have written myself… it should be…" She looked back to her apprentice and wondered how Sakura had surpassed her so quickly. "…impossible."

Finally, the smoke flowing around the patient dissipated. Sakura moved her other hand over an empty bowl, the water now clouded with the poison that had been extracted, and let it drizzle from her hand into the bowl.

She performed one more diagnostic sweep of her patient before turning to her master and nodding that she was finished with her patient.

Tsunade motioned for her to stand aside as she did her inspection of the patient, though she knew that there was no need to. Sakura was thorough. Not only that but she was well beyond anything she could hope to be herself.

'_I guess it really is true what they say, that the new generations will surpass the previous ones and shine brighter all before them.'_

Tsunade turned to look at her apprentice, though at this point she began to wonder if she should be the one calling Sakura _'Shishou'_.

"Haruno Sakura." Tsunade paused trying to keep from smiling. This was an exam and she needed to at least appear professional. "Based on your performance in advanced battlefield surgery and emergency techniques, I hereby remove you from the position of apprentice."

Sakura paled. Had she done something wrong? She mentally backtracked through every procedure she performed. She looked at her master, tears welling in her eyes. She had failed her master and that was worse than being stripped of her rank. Her thoughts were broken however, when Tsunade continued.

"You have been removed from the position of apprentice, because you no longer have anything to learn from me."

Sakura's head shot up, eyes wide.

"You will now be promoted to lead Medical Director, effective immediately." Tsunade smiled at her apprentice. She continued in a softer voice, much different from her previous 'Hokage' voice. "Congratulations Sakura, you have made me proud today, and have surpassed me by leaps and bounds."

Sakura was at a loss for words. At first it seemed that she was being demoted for some terrible gross negligence or something missed in her exam. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

Tsunade filled the verbal gap for her, noticing her student… no; her 'Equal' could not manage words on her own right now. "Your first duty as lead Medical Director is to go home, wash up…" Tsunade handed her a small envelope stuffed with money. "… and go out on a date with Naruto."

If Sakura wasn't already speechless, she certainly would be now as her cheeks flushed a deep red.

"A D-date? With Naruto?"

Tsunade found it amusing that a simple concept could turn her normally headstrong Sakura into a stuttering Hinata.

"Yes. The gaki needs a break as well, and I can't think of anyone he would rather hang out with more than you." Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Sakura," Her voice sounding everything like the Godaime Hokage. "Don't make the same mistake I did with Jiraiya. Love is a precious thing to be squandered on pride. Don't let what happened to me," she fixed Sakura with an icy glare, "happen to you too."

With that, the Hokage spun on her heel, calling Shizune to follow her and exited the exam room.

Sakura stood there, stunned. Finally her eyes narrowed in determination as she knew what she had to do.

******Break******

Ino stood at the counter of her parent's flower shop staring at nothing in particular. It was boring working here for her parents when they were at clan meetings. She watched as the curtains in the front store window blew in and out with the small breeze that made its way through the streets of the market. Occasionally a small insect buzz by and she would lazily lift her hand to swat it away. Her hand never found its mark however, as she wasn't really trying hard enough to hit it, only shoo it away. She huffed and leaned her chin on her hand at the counter. A small lock of her hair fell over her eyes. She peered at the hair as if only mildly annoyed and blew at it, trying to return it from whence it came, but the hair decided that it would not comply and continued its rebellion by falling back over her eyes. With a sigh, Ino brushed the hair back behind her ear where it stayed, a temporary victory in the war with her hair. Just as she felt her sanity was going to be taxed further than she could handle from the boredom, she heard a ding from the front of the store, letting her know that someone had entered and unknowingly saved her from a slow and painful death caused by a lack of stimulus in the extreme.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop, how may I assist you- Forehead?" Ino was confused to see Sakura here. It had been a while since the two had really talked outside of missions.

Sakura greeted her friend with a warm smile, "Hey there Ino. How's my favorite pig?"

Normally this would cause the blonde to form a tic, but it had been long ago that she reconciled with her best pinkette friend and confidante. They both realized that after Sasuke was labeled an international criminal and how lacking they both were in Shinobi skills that they should focus less on being fan girls and more like being kunoichi. She smiled at her longtime best friend and former rival.

"Hey Sakura, what brings you here today? Need flowers? Or are you here for some of my juicy gossip that I KNOW you can't live without." Ino smirked at the last part. Sakura was always a sucker for gossip since she never really got much time away from the hospital under the strict tutelage of the Hokage.

"Actually, I was hoping you weren't busy. I kind of need your help with something." Sakura looked at the ground, trying to avoid the penetrating eyes of her platinum friend.

Ino smirked at the opportunity that had suddenly presented itself to her in the form of a suddenly bashful and shy pinkette.

"Ok, fine. It's almost closing time anyway. So who is the lucky guy?"

Sakura's eyes widened as her head shot up to meet the blonde eye to eye.

"Who said anything about a guy? I just said I needed your help with something."

Ino leveled her glare on Sakura and placed her hands on her hips. "Because, I know you Sakura, and you never get this flustered about anything except a guy. You are so easy to read sometimes, it's just silly."

Sakura could only hide her embarrassment by turning away. "Yeah, I guess you are right. Who would know me better than you? Well if you can break away from here, I need you help picking something out to wear for tonight. I… kind of have a…" she trailed off and mumbled the last bit, "d-date."

Ino placed her hand to her ear. "Excuse me? Did I hear that correctly? Perhaps you should say it a bit louder so I can be sure I heard what I think I heard." She grinned, loving the fact that she was making her friend squirm under her interrogation.

"I SAID I HAVE A DATE!" Sakura didn't mean for it to come out as a yell. She quickly slapped her hands over her mouth as she blushed a deep red.

"That's what I thought I heard." She tugged the girl out of the flower shop and flipped the sign on the door to 'Closed'.

"Let's go get you something proper to wear to this date of yours."

The two walked off toward the local popular clothing store, oblivious that someone else had seen and heard everything that transpired.

Naruto leapt down to the street and stuffed his hands in his pocket, a sullen look on his face. While he was glad that Sakura had finally dropped her feelings for the Uchiha Avenger, he was sad that this date was not with him. He felt jealousy rise up and quickly squashed it down.

'_I will be happy for her, even if it isn't me that she wants to be with. Sakura has moved on. Maybe I should move on too.'_

A single tear rolled down his cheek, staining his shirt. He closed his eyes and focused on one of the many special kunai he had placed all over Konoha. He felt a familiar tug on his naval and the world stretched for a second before the scenery changed to something else entirely. Now he was looking down over the village from the top of his father's head. He now had a lot to think about. What was he going to do now that the war was over and Akatsuki was destroyed? He leaned back into the grass, letting the small stalks of greenery ripple under the passing sway of his hands. He breathed in and closed his eyes.

His thoughts drifted to his pink haired teammate. How he wished she would return his feelings. He knew it would never happen though. He was her best friend and likely nothing more than that.

'_Maybe I should move on. It's time I took up the mantle of spy master like Pervy-sage. Just because there is peace now, doesn't mean I can get complacent. Maybe Baa-chan will let me leave the village for a bit to check on the network. It would give me the time away necessary to give Sakura the space she needs.'_

With a plan in mind he decided to move on to more pressing matters, like stress relief. He reached within himself, drawing on the strength that Kurama now granted him willingly. When his eyes opened they were slitted, but no longer red. He was encased in a golden cloak and covered in the markings of the Sage. With a smile he disappeared in a golden flash toward a training ground he set aside for himself, in an outer lying forest just south of Konoha, for moments just like these.

****END OF CHAPTER****

A/N: I know this update has taken forever, but I rarely have the time to write anymore which is why _Inferno_ is currently on hiatus until I find time and inspiration. This story is a bit easier for me when it comes to conjuring story line, which is why you have an update here instead of my other story. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter and I look forward to writing another one soon. If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism, please feel free to leave it in your review of this story or send me a PM if you wish to keep it confidential. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow this story.


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